Category Archives: Government

Charlotte Census 2010

Did you know Charlotte in the 2000 Census only had 63-68% participation rates? It’s true. Think about all of the federal money we missed out on because people didn’t return their census!!!!
Lately the 2010 Census Bureau has been hitting the airwaves, billboards and tv ads pretty hard to encourage people to complete the paperwork the [...]

Proposal puts 1.5 miles of Charlote streetcar only 3 years out

“A proposed streetcar line could be operating in three years under a plan presented Thursday to city leaders.
City council’s transportation committee voted 3-2 to recommend applying for a $24.9 million federal grant to help fund the construction of a 1.5-mile rail line from the Transportation Center on Trade Street to Presbyterian Hospital in Elizabeth.
The full [...]

Hope turns to heartbreak at Lassiter campaign

John Lassiter’s concession speech. photo: James Willamor; view this photo on Flickr
Hope turned to heartbreak on election night at Republican John Lassiter’s mayoral campaign party.
Photos and essay after the jump:

Celebration of Foxx’s Victory

Supporters of mayoral candidate Anthony Foxx and media crews gathered in a ballroom of the Westin Hotel last week to watch election returns, renew connections and nosh on crab-lump hors d’oeuvres.
The candidate and family members kept out of sight early, and campaign and media watchers huddled around laptops periodically to watch as precincts reported results. About [...]

Charlotte elects a new mayor Tuesday

Left: Anthony Foxx (D), right: John Lassiter (R). photos: James Willamor; view this photo on Flickr
Regardless who wins Tuesday’s election, Charlotte will have a new mayor. That’s because Pat McCrory, Charlotte’s mayor of 14 years, is not seeking reelection. Voters will also decide races for Charlotte City Council, city leadership in other Mecklenburg towns, and [...]

Primary election results are in

voter turnout; dark red = 0-10%, bright red = 10-20%, white = not participating
Of 466,351 registered voters, 20,202 ballots were cast, equalling a 4.33% voter turnout. All precincts are completely reported.
John Lassiter, as expected, won the primary for Republican Mayoral candidate with a 79.54% margin. Martin Davis (Dirty Book guy), however, pulled an impressive [...]

CLT has nation’s 8th-worst ground-level pollution, no thanks to transportation planners

photo: Justin Ruckman
“Twenty years ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule for cities with dirty air, such as Charlotte: Show that your road-building plans will complement efforts to clean the air – or risk losing critical highway construction dollars.
But today the federal process is full of loopholes, the Observer has found.
City transportation [...]

Dirty Book Guy for mayor?

video: Mecklenburg County; view this video on Vimeo
This election of a new Charlotte mayor this November is expected to be a contest between established and experienced leaders John Lassiter and Anthony Foxx, both of whom currently serve on the Charlotte City Council. First comes the primary on Tuesday, Sept. 15th. While Democrat Foxx has no [...]

Charlotte Transportation Summit Recap

Mayor Pat McCrory. photo: James Willamor; view this photo on Flickr
Community leaders and experts met Friday, August 14th, at the Westin Hotel to discuss the present and future of Charlotte’s transportation and air quality. The Charlotte Transportation Summit was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the Charlotte Business Journal.
Update:  The Charlotte Chamber of Commerce [...]

CLT Blog Online Town Hall w/ John Lassiter, complete recording

video credit: Nathan Richie, Dave Potts, Justin Ruckman; watch this video on Viddler
Earlier this week, a poll conducted in Charlotte surveying 401 registered voters via telephone found that John Lassiter is leading Anthony Foxx 42 to 26 percent, with 32 percent undecided, in the upcoming mayoral race. Jim Morrill from the Observer has doubts about [...]